More particularly, the invention relates to a device for displaying at least one pictogram inside a vehicle passenger compartment, comprising: a light source connected to a control system and suitable for emitting light in response to a control signal; and an opaque covering layer having a certain color and comprising a through opening defining said pictogram.
The term pictogram denotes herein a symbol, character or set of characters intended to be displayed inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle in order to indicate to an occupant information relating to an item of equipment of the vehicle.
Such a display device may for example be installed on the vehicle instrument panel to indicate to occupants an actuation zone and/or information relating to an operating state of an item of equipment of the vehicle such as an air conditioning system, parking brake system, a de-icing device, etc.
Conventionally, in display devices of this type, the through opening formed in the covering layer and defining the pictogram intended to be displayed to the occupants of the vehicle, is filled or covered with a transparent or translucent element for example mounted by bonding or co-injected with the covering layer. Such a light-permeable element makes it possible to close or cover the opening formed in the covering layer so as to prevent impurities from the vehicle passenger compartment from entering inside the display device, and such that the display device has an outer surface that is visible by the occupants of the vehicle which is smooth, i.e. flush.
Nevertheless, such a conventional pictogram display device notably involves the drawback that, even when the light source is deactivated and is not emitting light towards the covering layer, the pictogram(s) provided thereon are visible for the vehicle occupants, which impairs the general visual appearance of the display device and/or the instrument panel whereon it is arranged.
Indeed, firstly, the light-permeable elements sealing the opening of the covering layer and this opaque covering layer being made of different materials, at least in terms of permeability to light, the pictograms defined by these openings are visible by reflecting the ambient light present inside the passenger compartment for an occupant of the vehicle even when the light source is inactive.
Secondly, the elements sealing or covering the openings of the covering layer are made of a material which is permanently permeable to light, whether the light source is activated or not. For this reason, even when the light source is inactive, the ambient light present inside the vehicle passenger compartment can pass through these elements, be reflected on components situated to the rear and return to the passenger compartment after passing once again through these elements sealing or covering the openings, and thus be visible by the vehicle occupants.
The document FR2825832 describes an example of a display device used in a vehicle equipment touch control device which provides a solution to the problem mentioned above. In the display device according to this document, the light source consists of a light-emitting film, arranged to the rear of a covering layer made of opaque plastic and through which various cut-outs of varied shapes suitable for representing a button, a cursor, etc., have been made.
Such a device offers the advantage that, when the light-emitting film is not active, i.e. when it is not emitting light, the pictograms defined by the cut-outs made in the covering layer are invisible or relatively invisible for an occupant of the vehicle. Indeed, the light-emitting film in the inactive state forms an opaque layer which, having the same color has the covering layer, makes it possible to render the pictograms invisible for an occupant of the vehicle.
However, in order to achieve this aim, the device according to this document FR2825832 uses a light-emitting film as a light source, which involves the major drawback of being a particularly costly solution.
Moreover, the use of such light-emitting films as a light source requires, in particular for questions of limiting costs, grouping/centralising the different pictograms intended to be displayed to the occupants of the vehicle, for example in a circumscribed zone of the instrument panel, which impedes the freedom for the conception and design thereof.